“It effectively resets the clock,” said Town Planner Harry Smith after the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission voted 4-1 Thursday to approve zoning regulation changes for Planned Development Districts (PDDs).

The time limit change was requested by developers Charles E. Weber Jr. and Al Secondino, whose property is part of the 44-acre PDD at Exit 56. The proposed commercial complex includes seven retail buildings and it also included Costco before the retailer withdrew in 2017.

To say that Branfordite Bridget Judd (pictured) has been very busy since early February would be an understatement. “The past month and a half have been a whirlwind,” said the 2018 Greater New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade Queen. “The whole experience is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before,” she said in an interview as St. Patrick’s Day formally arrived today.

Judd, a Branford native, who is the daughter of Tim and Kristin Judd, lives in Short Beach. She also works as a paraprofessional at the John B. Sliney Elementary School. She’s been busy since her selection as Queen on Feb. 3 at the New Haven Gaelic Football and Hurling Club in East Haven. She is a Gaelic football player.

We finally spotted some robins. Given the triple header of Nor’easters, they were either in in hibernation mode or delayed their return though some have been known to linger through the winter. Cardinals, however, do linger through the winter contrasting brightly with the snow. (See top photo.) We’re starting to hear early morning bird songs, too. Be sure to explore some of the cool events listed below that will put you in touch with your own habitat. Got a cool event? Email sebahner@snet.net by Wednesday noon.

Saturday, March 17

Guilford is becoming the shoreline nexus for the “March For Our Lives” event planned for Saturday, March 24, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. It’s part of growing, worldwide effort, driven by social media, to call attention to the lives lost to gun violence and the need for stricter legislation. To date, more than 700 events are expected to take place.

Plans coalesced all over the country for marches in response to the shootings Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Guilford resident Frank Blackwell (top photo), a Guilford-based photographer, writer, and corporate filmmaker, began planning for the event immediately after the shooting.

“March For Our Lives” follows on the heels of the March 14 National School Walkout for Gun Control in which students all over the country and Washington, D.C., walked out of classes yesterday, calling for stronger gun control laws on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland shooting.

The Branford Lady Hornets basketball team entered the CIAC state tournament ranked 28th in the Class L Division. Their first game was on the road against the no. 3 ranked Naugatuck Greyhounds. Wouldn’t you know it? The Greyhounds played like they were overconfident against the lowly Lady Hornets and were upset, 41-24.

n the next playoff game against SCC opponent and no. 12 ranked Jonathan Law, the Hornets started out like the Lady UConn Huskies, jumping out to a 22-8 lead after the first quarter. “We were doing pretty much everything right in the first quarter,” said Hornet coach Justin Henry. “Talk about putting it all together.”

Local school district and state policy require that fire drills be held at least once each month in each school building and reported to the superintendent’s office. Fire drill procedure is to be used in case of a bomb threat. All students, teachers, and employees are required to leave the building.

But fire drills are not a part of life in the Branford school district.

Saturday, March 10

After a long day of rain, winter snow storm Elsa took control of Branford late yesterday afternoon, depositing heavy wet snow on vulnerable trees. By midnight 13 inches of snow had fallen on the town, according to the National Weather Service. Some towns had more than 2 feet of snow.

The snow fell at about 2 to 3 inches an hour. Occasionally thunder laced the fast moving snowfall.